Iran:Seven Faces of Civilisation

IRAN: seven faces of a civilizationis an illuminating documentary with a companion book in the style of Persepolis Recreated. This documentary showcases numerous examples of some 7000 years of Iran’s celebrated culture, art and architecture.

Chogha MishThe point of departure is the ancient cities of Chogha Mish and Susa as they were
in late prehistoric times.

Chogha ZanbilThe documentary also contains the reconstruction of Chogha Zanbil, the only standing ziggurat in Iran, in its glorious times, a magnificent structure similar to the pyramids, but made of bricks.

Pasargadae

The beautiful gardens of Cyrus the Great in Pasargadae with a magnificent irrigation system, still preserved, making it the oldest remains of a royal park in the world.

CtesiphonThe city of Ctesiphon or Ayvan-e Kasra, the magnificent capital of the Sasanian
Empire, with its colossal architecture and the widest unsupported arch ever built
in antiquity.

SultaniehThe Sultanieh architectural complex with its largest dome in Iran, reconstructed in minute details, as well as its eight towering minarets, also reconstructed.

RashidiyehThe complete reconstruction of the 700-year-old “City of Science” in Rashidiyeh, Tabriz. This sophisticated city was built to house scholars, and students with free housing, restaurants and other amenities such as hospital, parks and libraries, all meticulously reconstructed and teaming with actual and graphically created people.

Bam

The nostalgic and once magnificent citadel of Bam as it was at the time of its
splendor, centuries before its sad destruction by earthquake.

Seljuq and Safavid IsfahanWe begin with the 13th century Isfahan during the Seljuq dynasty with its
famous Persian bazaars and madressahs. Then a tour de force of the city as laid
out and built to become “Half of the World” by Shah Abbas the Great in the 17th
century with all its magnificent and breath-taking architectures.

IsfahanThe miraculous high level of preservation of Safavid Isfahan naturally makes this city the zenith of our documentary.

But there is much more in the documentary and the companion book.For the production of this documentary, many neglected achievements and
forgotten treasures of Iranian civilization and culture have been recaptured once
again through cumulative perspective of over 70 internationally known scholars
who were personally interviewed throughout the world from 1993 to 2006.

Some 7000 minutes of footage from various prehistoric and historic sites in Iran,
as well as in many libraries and museums around the world, have been used to
create the present documentary and its companion book.

The data and knowledge gathered from years of research by our team have
been collated, analyzed and used to create this superb documentary film and
its educational and colorful companion book with many overlays that show
the actual and reconstructed images of many important and world famous
monuments.

It is our desire and hope that this production can serve as an inspiration for many Iranians throughout the world, as well as to those unfamiliar with Iran’s cultural heritage, to have an appreciation of the achievements of Iran’s millennia-old civilization.